Wow, I can't believe I've read through this entire thread.

My first synth was a Minimoog back in the 70's - still have it. That thing is a breeze to operate simply because it has real knobs to twiddle. Getting into endless screens and buttons on these modern units just doesn't interest me much. I have a comfort level with the ol' Moog, and a lot of the sounds I hear people trying to achieve are all there in the mini (seems to me that 'phat'= moog bottom end).

If you want a good education in the basics, get hold of an old Moog, ARP, or Prophet. Then, if you are of a mind to, move on to the new synths, etc.